Sponsored posts.

As a blogger, there are many different ways to make money depending on your situation and wants. This doesn’t include services like coaching or selling a product. A few of those include sponsored posts, ads, campaigns, Instagram campaigns, affiliate links, and commissioned sales. There are also Patreon pages which you can directly support or donate to podcasts or bloggers.

The two I personally use are ads (you can usually see on the sidebar) and sponsored posts from brands. The rest of the options aren’t for me, but they do work well for others. To add, if you start blogging to make money, you probably should choose a different career path. I know plenty of people that make a full-time income from blogging (not selling a product, just themselves as a brand), but unless you are internet famous, you probably won’t make a ton. Or you’ll work with a lot of brands all of the time.

Being internet famous is like having a lot of monopoly money and when everyone logs off or stops playing…what do you have? A bunch of likes that don’t exist when you shut off social media…

Through blogging, I make enough money to cover the fees associated with having your own domain and to cover most of my race entries for the year.

Moving forward though, someone asked the other day why there aren’t many “negative sponsored posts.”

It would involve the following scenario:

Blogger and Company Talk and Agree on some sort of terms of an agreement (product, payment, whatever)

The company sends blogger thing to review (and maybe even pays the blogger for review)

Blogger bashes the company and says it’s garbage.

Therefore the company just sent and possibly paid someone for bad publicity.

The company might lose many potential customers because everything on the internet is true. Even if that product might work for someone else.

I don’t try and set myself up for failure with a brand, or something I know won’t work.

So now you must think, wow Hollie just has favorable luck with everything?

That is not the case! There have been plenty of higher paying (for me anyway) campaigns I have turned down. While my blog does not garner the attention of $1000+ influencer “deals,” I do know, of course, they exist!

I look at every single offer that is given to me. I’m not going to ever choose something I already know I won’t like…that’s dumb. (just like I’m not going to go to a diner with 0 stars but 1000 yelp reviews…LOL).

Here are a Few Recent Examples of Things I Turned Down that Would Have Been Negative:

On several occasions, I’ve gotten requests to post already written blog posts. Prewritten content isn’t a big deal, and I’ve been happy to post prewritten content if it makes sense. I turned this particular post down because of the material.

The content was about losing weight. While many people do need to lose weight and exercise, that isn’t that focus on my blog. My blog isn’t about losing weight, and that isn’t the tone I want to set. The company was going to pay me $200 to just copy and paste into my blog. It was a lot but for me, wasn’t worth it.

A few months ago, I turned down a campaign for the promotion of an app having to do with babies. I have no children, but because many of the readers do, the brand thought it was a good fit. It didn’t make sense, and it makes more sense for someone who has children to blog about that!

The last and best example is recently I was sent free activewear as well as a monthly subscription to a brand (about $50 per month). On the website, the workout and lounge gear looked nice and something I could use.

When I received the activewear, it wasn’t the style wasn’t for me. I emailed the brand my honest feedback and exactly what I planned to blog.

I actually didn’t workout in or wear the apparel at all. In the email, I also said I wouldn’t be posting photos of me wearing the attire because I wasn’t my style nor the style I wanted to portray. I was more than happy to send the clothing (with tags) back, and they could use it for someone who is a better fit for the style. Instead of taking a few photos and making a few extra dollars, I sent the clothing back. I don’t have any regrets about that.

My point is, that is why you won’t see too many negative sponsored posts. For me personally, I don’t accept every single campaign. I won’t promote anything I don’t like or use. Do I have to absolutely LOVE something like a free haircut to the military on certain days? No, but do I think it’s an awesome gesture, of course, I do.

I am fortunate that I don’t rely on blogging as my full-time income or job. From this post, it sounds like I’m given dozens of opportunities every day, but I can assure you I don’t! Unless you are one of the top bloggers, blogging is not a luxurious job that generates an easy and high paying income. I blog because I like to share my story and things I’ve learned along the way. It’s nice to make money and cover the costs of blogging, so it remains a freeish hobby, but I cannot see myself pursuing trying to “grow” and making it fulltime. (I appreciate those who have worked hard to do so though!)

I don’t have a question today, but more of opinions on topics like influencers sponsored posts and making money as a blogger.

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The year has come and gone. Last week, I recapped my running in 2017 and now it’s time to recap blogging since this is a Running Blog. I have begun to think a lot about blogging in 2018. Where is it going? Is it dying? Will fueledbyLOLZ die?

Eventually yes, all good things must come to an end. I have a longer post about the direction the blog will “go”. Mentally I have written the post, but I haven’t strung 500 words together. In summary, I probably won’t kill FueledbyLOLZ, but I will post less in 2018.

Instead of focusing on 2018 (which I will do at some point), it’s always fun to look back at the year and hanging out with friends and fellow bloggers and internet users.

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I do like blogging and I enjoy it as an outlet. For me, blogging will never pay “the bills”. I am lucky that I do occasionally get sponsored posts which equate to extra spending money. Those come and go and are completely unpredictable.

Plus, I don’t accept sponsored posts from something I wouldn’t personally use or buy which also limits how many I receive. It’s nice to receive sponsored posts, but will they pay the bills? No. It’s also nice to receive free product to review and try, and I’m always cautious when I do that (for instance, I’m clear in shoe reviews if I didn’t pay for shoes…which 95% of the time, I paid for them).

The platforms of which people choose to blog is also changing. With Instagram growing, many running bloggers have stopped sharing posts or writing lengthy posts and gone to microposts on instagram. You must do what works for you. I am not there yet because I do see blogging as an outlet. While my grammar and spelling leave a lot to be desired, it’s nice to connect with other bloggers and readers in that form, especially my “real life” friends (and dad) that don’t use social media but subscribe only to blog posts.

Blogging is 2017 wasn’t my highest viewership, in fact one of my lowest, but I still enjoyed it. At the end of the day I blog for “me” but it’s nice to share the experience with others. If I wanted to keep a personal diary (which I do keep a personal notepad), I wouldn’t press publish on a public website. Thanks wordpress for being more organized than I am…

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This isn’t the typical New Year’s Resolution post declaring my New Years Resolutions.

This also isn’t the post to say I don’t believe in New Years Resolutions. I do have New Years Resolutions, but that is for another post.

I’m actually indifferent towards people who want to begin a new life journey or goal on January 1st. Honestly, I’m excited for anyone to make positive changes in their life. Every year I hear friends declare they are going to go to the gym more. They plan to do X, Y, and Z. That’s exciting, and I’m happy for everyone, no matter what their goals are.

Sadly, I also hear other friends publically wish resolutioners would get out of the gym or out of their way.Sure, having more people at the gym can be an inconvenience because there are fewer machines available.

The reality is everyone at the gym is paying for the same membership. No one is more entitled to a piece of equipment because you have been a member for one day or 1000. If a person “getting in your way” annoys you, purchase your own damn gym equipment and stay at home.

Every year on January 1st many people begin a journey to better themselves. New Year’s Resolutions include anything from fitness goals to life goals, work goals or even chasing your dreams.

The majority of the population makes a resolution or goal to achieve in the new year. According to studies, only 8% of people keep with their New Year’s resolutions. The facts are that is still 8% more than last year.

While people make many different resolutions, this post is focused more on the fitness and gym related goals.

This post is about the people who join a gym each year to achieve their goals.

This post is about the people judging those that are new to fitness programs.

Each year I see my “in shape” or fitness oriented friends complain about their gyms being crowded. I have even seen posts about how dumb having a New Years Resolution is. I’ve seen everything from posts about how silly new people look at the gym to even taking hidden photos of someone trying to workout.

Please remember that if someone has not given you permission to include their photo on your blog or social media, you shouldn’t. It is never appropriate to take a picture of someone without their permission, especially to make fun of them. Take a step back and realize how upset you would be if you found out someone was publically shaming you for trying something new.

Here are just a few complaints about resolutioners at the gym I’ve seen:

The gym is crowded. No space for me! (sad emojis)

Someone took my elliptical (or any piece of gym equipment).

I hate how busy it is; I hope these people leave soon.

These people are wasting their time. (You are wasting your time complaining)

Those statements are rude and it’s even ruder to post. Every single person from an elite marathoner to a star quarterback started their fitness journey somewhere.

Who knows where someone started, maybe it was with a New Years Resolution?

Judging someone based on their fitness level is both pathetic and sad. When people first begin something, they are the most self-conscious. New people (anywhere) fear being judged the most. It reminds me of people that won’t follow someone on twitter or facebook because they have five followers. It’s superficial.

I can remember the first time I went to the gym. I was 18 years old, and I was nervous the rest of the patrons were judging me. I tried every machine in the fitness center in 10 minutes. I had no idea what I was doing. Slowly but surely I found things that worked for me. The first few months I was hyperaware of everything and everyone. To be honest, I would still be mortified if I found out someone was publically shaming me at the gym!

Was that person laughing? Must be at me…

Are those people chatting? They must be chatting about me…

So as you ring in the New Years, remember that a New Years resolution might not be your thing but some people are trying to better themselves. Sure, some people might fall off the wagon, but many people will succeed.

I encourage you to think about when you were first beginning your fitness journey. Do not be upset with others for attempting to begin their fitness journeys or using a machine typically in your routine.

Question for you: When did you start your fitness journey?

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The year 2015 was a very eventful year for me. Normally when life is exciting and eventful…blogging is not as exciting. This is my fourth full year of blogging, and I learned a lot from it. In 2016, I plan to keep my blog, but I’ll be going in a different direction.

For the last few years, I’ve posted nearly every day.

Posts have varied in topic. When I was in college, I posted about that. When I was working in a health promotion office, I posted about life in Upstate NY. This year was a lot of marriage posts followed by mostly sticking with running topics and, of course, diners.

Throwback: I once partnered around with a monkey for education on campus.

I have taken a lot of personal life out of my blog. Not because I am hiding anything but because I truly am not exciting outside of running or work.

People have asked how I blog frequently or for so long but, to be honest, blogging goes hand in hand with my breakfast and morning coffee. I typically write or schedule a post before 7 am and go about the rest of my day. There are very few days I’m writing a post after 8 am.

I will still blog in 2016, but I don’t feel the need to blog about trivial and minor details of my life. You can typically follow those through Instagram or even my facebook page.

After that update, I decided to compile my most seen blog posts of the year as well as my personal favorites.

Here are some interesting stats from FueledbyLOLZ:

Most searched (and funny) terms:
What is ISO? (ISO is clearly everything and the substance used in many different Saucony shoes…)
Crystal Lake Diner (My friends in Haddon Township know this place burnt down, but it’s slowly being rebuilt. I’ve been excited for a year!)
Penguins (Are LOLZ favorite animal)
“I want my yoga pants to smell like I sweat money” (I don’t do yoga, and none of my yoga pants smell like money sweat, but you do you.)
Nike Frees (No, not a running shoe)
College Graduation Shoes (I wore these)

A Day Everything Went Wrong (I’ve had plenty of those…hopefully the next day was/is better)

Of course, a lot of people find LOLZ blog by googling FueledbyLOLZ…ect.

Most Popular Posts:

Believe it or not, my most popular and most seen posts are often shoe guides. It’s funny because the least amount of people comment on them but they are the most seen!

This year I was honored to go to the Runners World Festival as a blogger and influencer. It was an experience I will never forget and I had such a good time. I’m hoping to go back this year.

Since the majority of my blog is running related, I recapped my 2015 running journey here and here.

I had a great year in 2015 and truly enjoyed blogging my way through it. I’m interested to see what 2016 brings, and hopefully, I’ll get to share the journey with you! Thank you to friends and family who read as well as friends from across the world that read too! Have a happy New Years!

Question for you: What were some of your personal favorite moments of 2015?

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Last week my mom sent me a text message. Ever since mom got a Facebook, I think she reads LOLZ blog more. She always gives great blogging advice and brings up the blog in casual conversation (Shoutout to my mom).

But back to her text.

The Holidays are full of family gatherings from Thanksgiving to New Years. My husband and I spent Thanksgiving making our first turkey, so we didn’t travel. We are spending Christmas with Tims family and New Years with my family. Like many people, we are traveling a lot. We aren’t in the regular work schedule and at any Holiday gathering, there are plenty of desserts that creep onto the table. That’s fine and the Holidays are a great time to celebrate family and a mental break.

The Holidays aren’t something to avoid or rush through either. The Holidays are something to enjoy, but it’s important to give yourself some personal care too.

So how do you fit in workouts? How do you balance time with family and still take personal time for yourself?

First, schedule personal time. Without a doubt, there will be downtime during the Holidays. No one wants to spend every waking moment together. Spending that much together only sets you up for family fights or divorce (kidding). Figure out when that downtime is and make the best use of it. Go for a run, walk or find a local gym. Most gyms have a day pass that you can utilize.

So much family (my brothers and I)

Before the day begins: When you are on “holiday time”, most people aren’t starting their day at 6 am. I’m in no way saying to wake up at 6 to run but if you can wake up an hour earlier than normal to work out…go for it. As hard as it is to wake up, you normally won’t regret a morning sweat (whether you are walking, running or lifting).

Early morning workouts can also provide incredible views.

Small workouts lead to big workouts.

I’ll never forget my college coach saying: you could run for 6X10 minute sessions throughout the day…or you could go for a 60-minute run. You will still be on your feet…There have been plenty of vacations I’ve run a few miles in the early morning and a few more late at night.

Would I normally do that? No, but I would rather spend the daytime with my family.

Workout with your family.

My parents, siblings and I used to walk our dogs occasionally together. We enjoyed family time, were active and even kept the dogs from being restless. Now my husband and I go for runs together. Being active with others is one of the easiest ways to stay active.

My brother, dad and I were going for my first 10 mile run 4years ago this Christmas.

Finally, stay flexible and relax.

The holidays are truly about enjoying family time and relaxing. Your overall fitness is a collection of workouts, not an individual day, month or even year. Don’t be afraid to be flexible with the time, duration or intensity. You will not lose fitness by enjoying the Holidays and missing a few workouts.

Questions for you:How do you stay active during the Holidays?What are your plans this Holiday?